We still have room for more rail facilities, connectivity: Expert

KOCHI: The state definitely has the legitimate right to argue for higher railway density, said Centre for Socio-Economic and Environmental Studies, Kochi director N Ajith Kumar.

“Kerala’s rail density, defined as total length of lines operated (km) per 1,000 sq km, is only 0.03 against the national average of 0.05. The railway route length of Kerala is just 1.6% of the total route length in India. This is less than the share of the state in country’s population and country’s geographical areas,” said Kumar.

“The state definitely has the legitimate right to argue for higher railway density. But in the absence of vast tracts of land and high land value in the state, increasing the length of railway tracks has always been a problem. It is in this context that we need to view the new priority setting by the Indian Railways,” he added. More info